Although articulated transit buses have become commonplace in urban areas around the globe, articulated long-distance highway coaches have been a flop, although not for lack of trying. There have been three attempts to implement them in North America covering a forty year time span, and each one failed. The Kässbohrer Setra Continental Trailways Super Golden Eagle was attempt number two; four of these impressive 60′ long coaches were built in 1958. This sad relic is one of two still existent, hiding from the crusher in a storage lot near Eugene.

The first attempt was this pioneering bus built by Kaiser Industries in 1946. This was apparently a speculative effort, to gauge possible interest from bus operators.

Kaiser had no previous experience in building buses, but Henry Kaiser relished new challenges. Only one was built, and after some demonstrations (short video here), the bus was used for a time between Los Angeles and San Francisco by Santa Fe Transportation Co., a member of the National Trailways association. I did a short post on it a couple of years ago, but failed to properly comprehend its historical significance.

In researching the history of articulated buses for this article, it appears that this Kaiser bus was quite the ground-breaking design, the first true articulated bus ever – even with rear-wheel steering – that I could find documentation on. I had assumed that there were articulated transit buses in Europe before the Kaiser, but I can’t find any evidence of that. Can anyone else?

In Europe, conventional trailers behind buses have been common since the 1920s or so, used both in transit and longer-haul operations.

And trailers are still in use, as this recently-implemented Swiss postbus-trailer combo from 2013 shows. It’s a relatively easy way to add additional capacity during peak hours. Post buses in Austria used trailers extensively to increase capacity during the busy summer tourist season, and riding in them was always a bit of extra fun.

But trailers have obvious limitations, especially in urban transit settings, due to their length and turning radius. There are also regulatory issues, and to the best of my knowledge, passenger trailers have never been permitted in the US on public roads, presumably out of safety concerns.

One of the obvious disadvantages of the trailer is the inability for passengers to move between the two coaches. In the late thirties, the German firm Gaubschat began offering bus-trailer combos with a passageway. The Italian bus maker Macchi may have used it even earlier.

In this ad by Gaubschat, which ended up in East Berlin after the war, a genuine articulated transit bus is shown along with a bus-trailer combo. This is clearly a post-war era ad, and there are references in various places to articulated transit buses being placed into transit service in the 1954-1955 period, by several German transit bus builders. Needless to say, articulated transit buses have become very commonplace, but are not the scope of this post.

But it appears that the firm Kässbohrer, one of the largest of the German bus manufacturers, was the first to build an articulated bus, after the Kaiser, as this image dated from 1952 shows, although still built on a traditional front-engine truck-type chassis. The German wikipedia page on articulated buses gives this 1952 Kässbohrer credit as the first articulated bus ever, with no mention of the 1946 Kaiser. The English wikipedia page on articulated buses is very poor, and makes no mention of either the Kaiser or the 1952 Kässbohrer. Time to set the record straight: Kaiser, then Kässbohrer.

In 1951, Kässbohrer revolutionized the European bus industry with its rear-engined Setra S8.

The name Setra is a contraction of the German Selbst tragend (self supporting), a light but strong framework of integrated members as this model of the S8’s skeleton shows. The Setra’s advantages were obvious, and it became a top seller as well as the model for all modern European buses. It is analogous to GM’s pioneering Model 719 coach.

Strictly speaking, our featured Super Golden Eagle (“SGE”) wasn’t the second, but the third articulated bus in the US. In 1957, presumably as a prelude to the SGE, Kässbohrer sent two of these very German-looking Setra articulated buses to Colorado at the request of Continental’s founder and expansion-minded President, M.E.Moore, to be used by Continental Trailways on their “Academy Express” route between Denver, Colorado Springs – home of the Air Force Academy – and Pueblo, .

Note the baggage rack on the roof; these low-floor buses had little internal baggage capacity, as the MAN “pancake” engine was under the floor of the front unit. They also had no air conditioning. These were obviously European-type sightseeing buses with little or no modification for US use. Apparently, the hulks of these buses are still rotting away somewhere.

One year earlier, in 1956, Continental Trailways had contracted with Kässbohrer to develop and build its first 40′ intercity coaches, obviously in response to Greyhound’s new 40′ Scenicruiser. The Golden Eagle was a pioneering bus, as it set the template for all coaches since, with its continuous high-floor configuration that yielded a very large under-floor baggage and parcel storage area. A total of 185 Golden and less-lavish Silver Eagles were built by Kässbohrer, before Trailways bought the rights and jigs for the Eagle and set up their own manufacturing facility in Belgium. Eventually the Eagle was built in the US for a couple of decades, until the jigs were finally sold to Mexico.

The Golden Eagles originally were powered by a German MAN V8 diesel and ZF transmission, but they were not up to the punishing use of American intercity coaches that racked up over 100,000 miles per year. A turbocharged diesel six (manufacturer unknown) was then used for a while, but all were re-powered with GM’s DD V8-71 diesels after they became available thanks to an anti-trust suit brought against them for restraint of trade.

Moore, a true pioneer in the field, was obviously smitten with the possibilities of articulated coaches, even if the trials with the first two units were somewhat less than successful, due to their lack of air conditioning and baggage storage. So he had Kässbohrer build four Super Golden Eagles for Continental Trailways, 60′ articulated intercity coaches. The power plant in these was a 275 hp supercharged Rolls-Royce diesel driving the middle axle through a six-speed ZF transmission, and was mounted underfloor in the front half of the bus. There was a small galley in the middle of the bus, and a nine-passenger lounge at the very rear with panoramic glass roof panels. Total capacity was 63 passengers, with seat pitch stretched for extra leg-room for this premium-level “Five Star” service.

The SGEs were operated on the same Denver-Colorado-Springs-Pueblo route (presumably because of length restrictions elsewhere), but eventually were sent to California, where they plied the same Trailways LA-SF route that the Kaiser Bus once had.

One of the four was later sold to AC Transit in the Bay Area in about 1966, and was configured into their “Freeway Train”, seating 77 passengers for suburban transit use. By this time, a 262 hp Cummins diesel was at work under the front floor. AC Transit’s write-up on it is here.

This very bus was later bought by Wilson Bus in the Bay Area, and completely re-built. The complex articulation gear that steers the rear axles was worn out, but Kässbohrer had one new unit still in their warehouse, a critical aspect of this bus being fully roadworthy today.

The Wilson SGE still gets used occasionally, for exhibitions as well as some charters. I’d prefer it to have been restored stylistically to its original looks, but it’s a very impressive bus and well done.

The other three SGE’s were sold to Nashville’s Loch Raven Coach, a converter and leasing firm of performing artist’s coaches. One of them was destroyed early on, by attempting to convert it into a single 35′ long coach. The other two were used for some time as touring coaches, one of them with a shortened rear section.

Wilson Bus eventually acquired all of the remaining three buses, but sold them off except for the ruined one. One of these was presumably converted into a motorhome, but there is no current knowledge of its whereabouts. And the other went to Eugene, OR., to Green Tortoise, an “alternative” tour operator that maintained a “Research & Development” facility in Lowell, outside of Eugene.

That facility was once quite lively, and there was prodigious collection of old buses kept there for parts and/or for future conversion to one of Green Tortoise’s unique buses, which feature casual seating on long lounges which convert to beds. Green Tortoise operated a regular service between Seattle and San Francisco, but that was discontinued in 2001, and the R&D facility has been converted to other use. A couple of buses are still moldering away in the back, including the SGE. I figured it was high time to go in and shoot it before it inevitably disappears.

Time to step inside and take a look.

As best as I can tell, Green Tortoise likely started converting the interior of the SGE, but never finished it or made it roadworthy, as the license plate is still from Tennessee and dated 1984. Plus, there’s no visual Green Tortoise identification on the outside. These plywood platforms look like the “lounges” Green Tortoise typical uses, but it’s all very crude and unfinished. My guess is that some very basic work on the interior was started, but the mechanical issues of this bus soon made themselves obvious.

It looks like the work never made it to the rear coach section, although those transverse “sleepers” look like that might have been the first step to creating a higher new floor, although I don’t know why. Maybe a giant wall-to-wall sleeping section/rumpus room?

Here’s the view forward. Needless to say, this bus is in bad shape.

How would you like to tackle the wiring in this big boy? That’s quite the driver’s compartment.

The long shift lever could use a knob. It probably connects to a Spicer four-speed, a box that became the de-facto standard for coaches until automatics took over.

Here’s where the engine sits in these, in the middle of the front section. A spare turbo is along for the (non) ride.

Not surprisingly, it’s a DD 8V-71, the choice of transit and highway buses for decades. This appears to be the typical 318 hp version; the “Big Bus” would be just adequately powered, at best. But the noise of that “Screaming Jimmy” inches under the floor was probably hard to muffle properly. There’s a good reason why rear engines mostly replaced underfloor units. Access for maintenance was difficult too.

Back there where the engine normally sat in Eagles, there’s now a very large luggage compartment. Wiring issues, perhaps?

The Super Golden Eagle didn’t last long in front line service, and the articulated highway coach again went into remission for a few more decades. In 1985, Canadian busmaker Prevost decided to give it another go, with their H5-60. Well, they struck out too, although with some 50 units built, that was an improvement on the Super Golden Eagle. Since articulated buses have become so common for transit buses, how come not for highway coaches?

It’s safe to assume that it was the emergence of the 45′ non-articulated bus, thanks to changed length regulations. The huge additional expense of an articulated 60′ bus to gain just 15′, and not all of that in passenger space due to the vestibule, undoubtedly makes it uneconomical in comparison. And economics are key in bus operations.

In Europe, the articulated long-distance coach didn’t fare much better. Neoplan’s double-decker Jumbocruiser, the world’s largest bus with a maximum possible capacity of 144 passengers, arrived with considerable fanfare in 1975. But only eleven of them were ever built through 1992, as a result of some countries like France having substantial barriers to them.

And after Europe also increased its maximum length from 12 meters to a whopping 15 meters (49’3″), articulated buses also became uneconomical, and Nepoplan’s Megaliner essentially replaced it. Will we see 50′ buses in the US? Why not? Semi trailers are already 53′ long. I’m rather surprised that Europe has taken the lead on this, given our relatively more wide-open spaces.

Meanwhile, articulated transit buses just keep getting longer and longer, like this 30 meter (98.5 feet) bus introduced recently in Dresden, Germany. It’s sophisticated computer-controlled multi-axle steering system allows it to have a turning radius the same as a 12 meter bus.

Meanwhile, this poor neglected Super Golden Eagle is moldering away here in the Eugene area, a memorial to the time when the articulated highway coach was seen as the next new big thing. It’s hard predicting the future.

57 Comments

All I have is a scant impression from a brief time in Germany 30 years ago. But I was really surprised by how common it was to see big coaches everywhere, even on city/town streets I would have thought were too narrow.

In contrast, I sometimes see big coaches rolling around Indianapolis, but it’s always a “hey-wow-a-big-bus” moment.

If my memory does not deceive me, even the Megaliner was not a huge success and sold in places like Sweden where conditions suited it better. I have only ever seen two; a Swedish one – way back in the 90s – and, more recently, a Serbian example, most likely bought of the Swedes when they pensioned theirs…

In 1957, presumably as a prelude to the SGE, Kässbohrer sent two of these very German-looking Setra articulated buses to Colorado at the request of Continental’s founder and expansion-minded President, M.E.Moore, to be used by Continental Trailways on their “Academy Express” route between Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo, home of the Air Force Academy.

USAFA is in Colorado Springs. At the time these buses were built, the campus was under construction while the Academy was temporarily located at Lowry AFB in Denver.

Pretty much anything having to do with Colorado Springs in those days proudly touted its “Academy” connection, not unlike Central Florida’s “space”-themed everything in the ’60s. Snagging the newly-established USAFA was a big deal for Colorado.

In yesterday’s SSR comments I mentioned the stretch of the Great River Road between Alton and Grafton, IL where SSRs can often be seen in the wild. One of the three finalists for the USAFA site was up on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi along that same stretch of highway. There was a fair amount of local opposition to building there which ultimately resulted in the selection of the Colorado Springs site. The third finalist was somewhere in Wisconsin.

Looking at that poor Golden Eagle rotting away stoked my attention, I like unusual challenges… Put in a proper Gillig Hybrid Electric engine system get it well spruced up like a “Club” cruiser, with a little elbow grease and proper Bridgestone tires, this bus would make a groovy super cruiser for a Racing team or Rock band! It just needs a little TLC and Trailways love. Anyone who agrees, please contact me and lets see what we can do.

Interesting point. Here in North America, we are still a personal car culture, in that anyone who can afford a car and drive it will do so. Buses tend to be used by lower socio-economic groups, the ones with no cars and/or can’t afford to fly. Ridin’ the Dog is still a pretty good deal if you are low on funds.

In Europe, everybody rides buses. Road tolls and fuel prices make bus travel an attractive alternative to driving. When travelling in Europe, where you are going to park your car when you arrive is a really big issue and another factor for taking the bus or the train. The buses I have ridden in Europe have all been very clean and comfortable.

In the 90’s one of my Mother’s cousins and her husband had been sold a bus tour of the US by a travel agent in the Netherlands. It was the overseas trip of a lifetime and they were stopping by our house at the end.

Turns out the transportation was by Greyhound, and they saw America all right, just not the America they wanted to see. They refused to talk to my Mother about what had happened and were heading back to Europe presumably to strangle their travel agent.

I feel for them. I guess in Europe people like those they travelled with (you do have them?) just would not travel. As a Czech friend once said, to travel the kind of distances we’re used to in Australia (and no doubt in America too), you’d be passing through half a dozen countries at least. For the kind of trip your relatives no doubt wanted, you’d probably have to travel by a fairly-special train, the kind that’s up on posters at travel agents here. Not by bus!

I never knew about these. It is interesting that they chose to put power to the rear wheels, which would require making the articulation and steering mechanism stout enough to handle all of the engine torque as well. A fascinating design.

That would have been a nightmare.I guess I should have made that clearer: the drive is to the middle axle, or the rear axle of the front unit (called a “puller” system)

That’s the way all articulated buses were, because putting the engine in the way back, and driving the rear-most wheels would have created the risk of power-on jacking. It wasn’t until anti-jacking systems were developed that engines could be moved to the way back, and drive the rear-most wheels (“pusher” system).That’s the way almost all articulated buses are built now, at least the ones used in the US in transit service.

I can go one better than that.
There was a Renault articulated bus which had it’s engine in the rear part. This engine powered the rear most axle AND the back axle of the front part of the coach also.
In other words there was a driveshaft going through the articulated section.
Driving the two nearest axles. Clever huh?

” It wasn’t until anti-jacking systems were developed that engines could be moved to the way back, and drive the rear-most wheels (“pusher” system).That’s the way almost all articulated buses are built now, at least the ones used in the US in transit service.”

WHOA. Paul, do you mean to say these modern articulated buses actually push from the ‘trailer’ section?!?! What kind of technology could possibly prevent that from immediately jack-knifing?

Sure; they all have “pushers” nowadays. Check out the next one you see in Portland. Why not? In normal situations, it’s a non-issue; there’s plenty of traction on all the wheels to keep everything in line. It’s only an issue in snow and ice,which is when the anti-jacking comes into place. There were strictly mechanical devices, but now they’re all electronic, kind of like ESC. The sense the moment the first hint of jacking is beginning and cut power to the wheels.

The ultimate traction in snow and ice is not as good as a “puller” artic, but that rarely is a significant issue. Using a pusher is a much cheaper solution, as the rear section of the bus is essentially the same as a regular bus, just without the front end. Much cheaper to build, as well as to maintain.

Sean Cornelis

Posted August 12, 2014 at 7:46 PM

I was never 100% sure on how the articulated buses worked, but the snow last year cleared everything up for me. This was a common sight for awhile there:

Being on a crosstown bus going 70MPH on the highway seems terrifying to me. I imagine that even with ABS/stability control, really awful things are prone to happen when you lock up the brakes at that speed!!

Sean; interesting video. The bus’ ABS/ESC anti-jacking control is clearly at work there, as the drive wheels keep being stopped constantly. The bus is too close to a jacking position, and is almost incapacitated because of it. There are limitations to these setups.

A puller-type artic would have just spun its wheels enought to get moving.

I also noted that the driver had the front steering wheels cocked too far to the left; I suspect that wasn’t helping either.

MoparRocker74

Posted August 13, 2014 at 5:09 PM

Hmm, never noticed any up here. Although to be honest, whenever I see a city bus my only thought is to put it in my rearview mirror and right away!

Seems counterintuitive to have your driven wheels and center of gravity from the tail end of a jointed vehicle. Although around town where speeds are low it may not make much difference. Not sure how our constantly wet *slick* pavement would affect it. Out on the freeway, a road coach set up like this would be a total deathtrap from where I sit.

G__

Posted August 15, 2014 at 11:22 PM

Want to see pusher articulated buses fail in snow? OC Transpo (Ottawa, home of REAL winter) has issues every year.

Very interesting article. A handful of articulated city buses used to move around Omaha into the 1970s. I always thought they were way cool.

In addition to economics probably making articulated buses inefficient for highway use, my guess is that comfort issues also play against them. I have very low expectations of public transit, be it a train or bus, as far as NVH issues go, and my low expectations are usually met. But, some highway coaches are actually quite nice, and I can see how the senior tour business flourishes in them.

While the pictures of the newest articulated buses show signs of hope, air leaks, wind noise over rough exterior surfaces and the potential for squeaks and rattles has to be an issue where the better road coaches are expected to be climate controlled, quiet, and smooth riding.

I feel fortunate considering that only 4 of these Eagle Artics were ever built to actually have seen one. Went to see a Reggae band in suburban Detroit back in 1981 or 82 and they were using one of these for touring.
I have driven New Flyer 60 foot artics and due to the short front section they are easier to drive going around corners in cities than the 40 footers.

This is one of the coolest CC articles I have ever read. I have known of the Jumbo Cruiser and the Megaliner for a while now. But so cool to read on history of these big busses. Yeah, I have to agree with the notion that passenger trailers are unsafe here in the U.S.

And white wall tires on a bus! How classy! Mr. Six flags step out and dance! 😛

Very interesting article, Paul. I never knew what the Setra part in K-S stood for, just assumed that at some point two builders joined forces…Great pictures too.

Towards the end of college (or maybe right after) we gave some thought to the Green Tortoise offerings. We decided against it, probably because maybe we were a bit uptight, who knows. I didn’t realize they were no longer in operation though.

I love buses (or the idea of them anyway). Riding around in certain cities usually disabuses me of that notion quickly, but there is always a next time. We have a new bus line here called the “Max” – It uses articulated buses but runs on a fixed straight line, really only turns at the ends. Kind of a boondoggle, we’ll see how it plays out. The most interesting thing about it so far are the heavily skirted wheels. I guess it’s the “Parisienne” edition…I’ll have to ride it soon and check it out more.

Thanks re: GT, good to know (although I guess I’m too old to do it now. I’d probably be viewed as the old perv lounging in the back…)

Your Rapid Bus looks just like ours, even the stops look similar. Maybe we have the updated version of the same bus, looks very similar. It just came online this summer. For now the main complaints seem to be that it does not run late enough and not on Sundays, which is when I for one would probably use it. It goes along Mason Street, one block off of the main drag (HWY 287, College Ave) from Harmony St in the South end to Old Town. Parallelling as it does the railroad track and being a very short block off the main street, it makes for an interesting potential bottleneck what with two sets of lights, a fairly busy railroad crossing and now a MAX crossing all within a very short stretch of road crossing every east/west artery.)

Apart from certain fellow passengers once in a while, my problem with buses is the unpredictable movements as it jostles through traffic. It’s worse than the back seat of a car. Trains are far calmer and smoother. Does the BRT with its own right of way feel like a train?

I think Trailways intended the Super Golden Eagle to ‘one up’ Greyhound and their fabulous Scenicuisers. I seem to remember hearing the SGE’s even had stewardesses for a time. Interesting coach that was developed into the ‘Eagle’ line that was around for a long time. Did the SGE use the Torsilastic rubber suspension the later Eagles used? The pictured 8V-71 is a non-turbo version, probably a 318 horse. The loose turbo looks Cummins-ish.

Very cool bus and a pity that only one is in operating condition, and that one having been extensively “remuddled”. As another commented, as far gone as this one is, maybe its best use would be parts for a proper restoration of the other. What luck that you were able to get up close to and inside it though! I also never realized that the Eagle buses, which were (and possibly still are) common for touring musicians and for use as uber-RVs, were descended from a Setra design.

It does seem like bigger and bigger is becoming normal for buses though. The Megabus service, several of which I see passing along I-95 each day, uses double-decker Van Hool coaches, whereas until recently double-deckers were but a novelty in this country. Interesting also to see the technology advancing–many of our city buses here in Richmond are now hybrids (recognizable by the *huge* battery pack storage on the roof) and the on-campus buses at NC State University in Raleigh use biodiesel.

Great story, that’s quite a bus isn’t it…didn’t even know these giants were already around back then.

I know a lot of brand names, but for me it’s impossible to visualize the countless models they all made. Well into the sixties there were still dozens and dozens of bus and coach builders throughout the continent. Seems to me that every city or region had its own coach builder.

The ONLY bus I recall immediately is the Bova Futura, introduced in 1982. The bus with the aerodynamic belly, standard equipment for the tour operators here. (Photo: ROVM website)

Try an old deserted tramcar. That’s even worse. With a more closely-confining body, and interior furnishings of an older style than your average deserted bus, and likely to have been out of service way longer, you can almost feel the ghosts.

+1 there was a tram “graveyard” at Thornton Gate Cleveleys midway between Blackpool and Fleetwood.Very sinister on a foggy night,it was a timing point and the driver and conductor would stop to smoke there.

I saw a photo. of a Lykes Lines ship which was transporting from USA to Europe for maintenance. I thought that was a long haul to take the buses to Antwerp.
I wonder does anyone know more about this practice? And I wonder what kind of maintainence would make it economic to ship them across the Atlantic.

Great find and fascinating history. Nice to see that wonderful Kaiser bus again, too – such a shame that those weren’t a massive hit for them. Likewise, it’s tough to see this one in such rough shape but at least it’s still with us and there’s another up and running. Must take an immense amount of skill to drive with the 4-speed and all that length behind you!

I ride the local transit buses almost every day, but I’ve never been on a Greyhound or anything like that outside of a few school field trips when I was really young. One of these years I want to take the Chinese bus up to Boston just to say I did it (and survived, hopefully).

I have not seen any bus trailers in the US, but the Niagara Parks Commission in Ontario had a small fleet of shuttles that were set up that way. Looks like they were replaced with artics a couple of years ago. With lots of glass, and curved sides, they sort of looked like a modern update on the European sightseeing busses.

I remember seeing the AC Transit XMC-77 in service on the L line from San Leandro to SF when I was a kid. I mean, among all the New Look and “Old Look” buses, how could you not notice the “gold” sided bus. I’m glad it still exists, but I wish it was still in the AC Transit configuration.

While surfing the net this morning, something made me type in the search box “articulated eagle bus” and I came across Paul Niedermeyer’s excellent article about the sad tale of the articulated intercity bus experiment and how it failed. Very well written, researched with great photos. While reading the accompaning comments, I came across the one by ‘NVANBCCAN’ about the band bus in Detroit. I remember seeing a picture of that bus in Bus World magazine sometime in the ’80’s. It stuck in my memory ’cause I’d never seen an articulated highway bus.The name of the band touring in it then was “Kid Creole and the Coconuts” and they wanted to sell it. Since I’ve owned a Superior Coach converted to a housecar (on a ’64 Chevy chassis) for thirty years, my first thought was that would make a great motorhome conversion. Think of all the room!”(and all the work). I’d sure like to hear that someone with the financial wherewithal and inspired motivation rescued that one in Eugene, Or.before it’s hauled to the crusher. Thanks to all who participated by commen-ting and adding more info. Very interesting.

Here’s a pic of the “destroyed” shortened one. Note the tail is there, but not attached, but the cap from the tail has been put on the back of the main section of the coach. They never finished the project.

If you need a extra hand in Restoring this proud Motorcoach, I’m available here in Washington state, and a Electric Hybrid “Bio-Diesel” bus engine converted to Interstate use would be providential! Imagine crusing past Greyhound buses and the occasional Gas Guzzler in this… It’d be cool.